Home to Avonlea

1. home

"Come home some day."

Anne's precious words had stuck in Gilbert's head ever since that day. They were spoken the last time he'd seen Anne before he left Avonlea, hired on a steamer to New York. Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, the tempestuous, imaginative and talkative girl who he'd had a fierce academic competition with at school... They were more than adversaries though, he knew it.

Gilbert secretly adored Anne. It was even a secret to himself, as he didn't know it yet. She was magical to him. She brought so much colour and excitement into his life. He had missed her dreadfully while he was away, although he didn't like admitting it. He was eager to tell her all about his travels to New York and Trinidad. He'd met a good man named Bash among others aboard the steamer who made his time more enjoyable but he ached to return home after a while.

Anne and Gilbert had a history of disagreements but they'd parted on good terms. They'd also parted on disaster, as Anne's family were struggling desperately with money and were facing bankruptcy and Matthew was ill. Gilbert was worried about how it had all turned out and he'd thought of her often, hoping for the best.

Gilbert felt uncommonly nervous. He was walking to Green Gables at that moment, a bunch of spring wildflowers in his hand and a skip in his heart. He had reached Avonlea late last night and unpacked this morning. His father's farm had been kept up well in his absence, and he felt as though that was down to his housekeeper and perhaps Mr Cuthbert. Coming home brought up a lot of feelings about his father's passing.

Nobody in town knew that Gil was home yet. He wanted it to be a surprise. But he had to see Anne before anyone else, although he wasn't sure why. They were never quite friends. There was a strange urge in him to see her freckled smile, her bright eyes.

A silly notion of flowers had popped into his head on the walk over. He knew that Anne adored nature and especially flowers and considered them sublime. But flowers sure did have romantic connotations and he felt shy giving her them. He was sure she'd react dreadfully and they'd never be able to become good friends.

Gilbert hastily stowed the flowers on the grass by the path and continued on his way.

Flowers? What was he thinking? He never seemed to get anything right when it came to Anne. Ever since the first day he met her and called her "Carrots", she'd been adamant not to befriend him. Her last words to him were out of character, as she had never outwardly admitted to liking him. She'd even said that she'd missed him at school! For competition, of course.

Gilbert saw Green Gables up ahead. It looked beautiful still. The farm seemed to be empty, which was strange. Why wasn't Mr Cuthbert at work?

He crossed the path to the gate and opened it slowly, gazing up at the white house. There was a yawning emptiness about it, as though it was uninhabited. Thoughts of the Cuthberts being turfed out and living on the streets flashed to Gilbert's mind. He frowned, thinking of Anne in the cold winters, her cheeks flushed and her eyes dull with sadness.

She'd had enough hardship in her childhood without losing her first true home. He prayed it was not so.

Gilbert made his way up to the front door and up the steps. He rapped thrice and waited with bated breath clouding in the cold spring morning air. The door opened to a tired-looking Marilla Cuthbert. Gilbert was glad to see a friendly face here. Surely they can't have lost the farm!

"My goodness! Gilbert Blythe, as I live and breathe." Marilla smiled softly. "You look so much older. Well, Anne will be pleased to see you."

"She will?" Gilbert said without thinking. The idea of Anne being pleased to see him made Gil desperately happy.

"Would you like to come in?" Marilla asked.

"Oh, only if its no trouble." He followed the older woman into the clean house.

It looked sparsely furnished and he knew it was because of their tight budget. Marilla boiled the kettle for drinks and they sat in the kitchen.

"Anne told me of your losses, I'm glad to see you've still got Green Gables." Said Gilbert softly.

Marilla nodded. "Just about. Mathew recovered slowly from his heart attack and Jerry has been kept on to farm thanks to Miss Barry. We're getting by."

"That's good news." Gil was relieved. "I thought of you often while I was away."

"How were your travels?" Asked Marilla politely, making tea.

Gilbert had gone all the way to New York to stay with his Uncle. He'd worked all year on a building site for his Uncle's company, saving up and exploring the city on his days off. He'd learnt so much and discovered so many things. The world was so much bigger than Canada. His mind felt like it had expanded.

"I feel much older now... Travelling really does put things in perspective. I value everything more. I've seen the cities you spoke of, the ones father told you about... They weren't as impossible as we dreamt. They were just as beautiful, though." Gilbert told her.

Marilla smiled wistfully. They sat in silence for a moment, thinking deeply. Gilbert's father was on both of their minds.

"He would have been proud of you." She said quietly. "Making your way in the world, exploring... it's what he would have wanted for you, I'm certain."

Gilbert took a deep breath, feeling a lump in his throat. He missed his father so awfully, it ached in his heart. He looked away and stared out of the window. On the windowsill he saw a bunch of wildflowers and he knew instantly that Anne had collected them.

The question that was burning his tongue came to Marilla before he could breach the subject.

"You must be wondering where Anne is." She said.

Gilbert felt his mouth go dry. Something about Anne made him feel nervous. He never felt nervous around anyone, especially not girls. He was one of the most confident boys in school, he knew how to charm and outwit anyone. But Anne was different. She was smart and bold and unpredictable and fierce.

He only nodded.

"She's in the town, working. She'll be finished by tea." Marilla informed him.

"Working? Anne has a job?" Gilbert frowned. "Why? Why isn't she in school?"

"We needed the money while Mathew recovered and we're still in debted to the bank. She has to work. Mathew has doubled our crops with our last savings and I've been taking on washing and sewing for extra money." Marilla looked saddened, but her tone stayed sharp and brisk as usual. The extra work had taken its toll though, Gilbert could see it.

"Where does Anne work?" Gil asked.

"Avonlea Library. It's a good job, she likes it. She gets free books when the binding begins to tear or the pages become faded. She says its good for her imagination." Marilla sighed didsaprovingly.

She never encouraged Anne's ways but deep down she was slightly in awe of her adopted child's mind.

"She works long days though, so she has hardly any time for school." Marilla said. "I told her she must work part time, but she insisted on taking more days... That girl is too stubborn for her own good."

Gilbert thought about Anne working all day, every day, all week. No time to play outside and explore the woods and fields and spend time with her friends. No time at school, feeding her mind and learning. Things she loved, placed on the back burner for the sake of her family. He wanted to help her so badly.

What could he do?